because life didn't give me a manual when it gave my mom ms

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I have been having trouble writing recently. I think because (knock on wood) things seem to be going well with Mom. We seem to have reached a bit of a rhythm with all of this. I have also had a lot going on personally that was independent of Mom’s MS.

But one thing I haven’t been sharing and feel nervous discussing is the effect Mom’s MS is having on her cognitively. I have said before that this symptom is the hardest one for me to deal with- I can deal with Mom’s exhaustion, her trouble walking, her physical changes but the mental changes, they really bother me.

They bother me in a lot of ways. They are also one of the symptoms I don’t share with anyone. I am not sure why. Everyone seems to have opinions on Mom’s health these days. And they aren’t just opinions, they are strong words. Words that are heavy implying in many ways that we aren’t doing enough. These words though relate to the physical changes they are seeing in Mom. What people don’t realize is that there are many layers to this battle with MS and the physical is only the surface. In many ways it is only the beginning.

I also don’t like to talk about the mental changes because it is very sad for me. I am not sure how people on this blog would react to how I have been handling it…how Sister K and I handle it in order to keep ourselves moving forward. I am not even sure I am allowing myself to fully process and accept it. In many ways I think I am “masking my mourning.” I think Sister K and I possibly both are. Sister K has told me we can’t take this seriously and we have to laugh about it. And we do. After a conversation with Mom that doesn’t go in the right direction and pretty much goes in no direction, I call Sister K and we laugh. People may disagree with that approach. We aren’t making fun of the situation but in laughing about it, I think it makes it seem not so real.

These cognitive changes though, they are there. They are also tough. They are tough because I am someone who calls Mom everyday, typically on my lunch break. These phone calls though are becoming more fluffy in nature and more of a struggle for me as I am having trouble talking to Mom. I think she struggles to fully understand everything going on in my life. I am not sure she is fully focused and listening. In plain words, I feel like I am drifting apart from her. I find it incredibly unfair.

I also am 28. When my friends talk about their Moms it’s not like there is someone else in the group who also shares what I am going through. It’s not like other Moms may also have cognitive issues at this point. I hear about the advice their Mom may have given them, things they have done with their Mom, basically no matter what they say I am hearing their Mom is “normal” and mine is not. And I mask my emotions. I stay quiet. I engage about their Mom. I don’t engage about my own. It’s hard.

I know many people have different stories of things they have experienced with their parents. I feel blessed to have the Mom I have. I am in no way complaining or making fun of a tough situation. I am just expressing my sadness…mourning what I think is beginning to be the loss of Mom the way she once was…and finding a way to express this in order to accept the Mom she is becoming. I am also wanting to share this with you because this is part of my journey- another chapter in dealing with Mom’s MS.

Are there any struggles your loved ones have faced where certain symptoms bother you more than others? Do you have any experience dealing with cognitive issues as a result of an illness? Do you think it’s okay to laugh to deal with serious issues sometimes?